The recent stories coming out of Hollywood of Harvey Weinstein has now unleashed the flood gates of allegations of paedophilia. Corey Feldman has been vocal for years of the “vultures” of Hollywood and would speak of the abuse inflicted on him and his peers during their childhood. Anthony Rapp has outed Kevin Spacey as making sexual advances towards him when he was only 14 and now this, Anthony Edwards has bravely disclosed being molested by a Broadway producer when he was 12. We are positive this is just the beginning and before long many more predators will finally be held to account.
These men now in their 40’s and 50’s are only now finding their voice and the courage to stand up however despite this is if you follow Corey Feldman on twitter you would see the very real fear for his life that he still has. How can these grown men only find the courage to speak up 30-40 years after abuse has ended and why all these years later, without any contact to their abusers, are they still living with so much fear?
We look at the children on our watch, in Cambodia and Kenya, who also have the same degree of fear, many don’t speak up and will not go on the record for the abuse. It started me thinking about the differences between our PRC kids and these brave Hollywood stars and on the surface sure we are comparing Movie and TV stars with children living on the streets but start scratching away at that surface and there is no difference.
Hollywood child actors knew if they told their careers would be over, our PRC kids believe that being pimped out is the only way they will be able to survive. They are all conditioned by fear, the threat of violence and even death. A predator is a predator no matter what circles he is preying upon, the tactics are the same.
The damage that has been done to these children is indescribable. The guilt, the shame and the horror that they carry through the rest of their lives would weigh so heavily and impact every facet of their lives. Yet when it takes men 30-40 years to finally come forward and detail their abuse some are not automatically believed and if they are they are then subjected to a lengthy enquiry process or trial and have to relive the horrors of their childhood.
Why is their still such a stigma for adults to report the abuse of their childhood? Why is the justice system designed to protect the predator until the evidence is overwhelming? Why aren’t we doing more to protect kids so that this doesn’t happen to them in the first place.
Society as a whole needs to come together and accept that child sexual abuse and child sex trafficking is prolific and has been for many many years. We need to protect the children of today at all costs. Don’t let these kids go through life for 30 years until they have the courage to speak up, lets give them a voice now.
In regards to the child sexual abuse in Hollywood, an enquiry needs to be opened and all victims and witnesses made to feel protected to come forward. This needs to be done to protect the child actors of today and our future.
As for the children on our watch. The child sex trafficking victims across the world, we need to stand up as a collective and say no more! Kids come first, nothing more nothing less.
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